Day Out with Underground Ernie

Day Out with Underground Ernie was an event hosted by the Eastleigh Lakeside Railway in Hampshire. The railway secured the rights in 2008 and hosted four events across the space of two years.

Event highlights

Miniature versions of Jubilee and Ernie 1 were constructed for the events which passengers could ride behind, there was also the chance to meet Ernie in real life.

The last event was hosted in January 2010, after the railway lost the rights to the characters.

Underground Ernie charity evenings

In 2008 and 2009, two Ernie-themed charity evenings were hosted at the railway, organised by then-thirteen year old Thomas Ingram, in memory of his late mother, Karen.

Thomas asked to host a charity event at the railway, who said they would host the event for free, but when asked about an appearance from Underground Ernie, it turned out the cost would be £1000. He then emailed John Deery, the co-creator of Underground Ernie, telling him of the situation, and Deery replied, saying he would lend the Jubilee miniature for free. John Deery then attended the charity evenings with his family.

The first event raised £3,500, which was donated to the hospital where Karen Ingram was treated. The final event was hosted in mid-2010, but was not Ernie-themed due to the railway having lost the rights to using the characters.